This invention relates to arrow grips and, more particularly, to an improved grip rest for attachment to the arrow rest of a bow which is configured to releasably hold the shaft of a nocked arrow until fired.
Modern day anchery bows have much more power than the original long bows and recurve bows which have been in existence for many years. With the advent of the compound bow, archers are able to pull up to a ninety pound or more draw of the bow string versus thirty-five to forty pound draw with a conventional long bow. Accordingly, the arrows fired with a compound bow travel at a much higher velocity and reach further distances than arrows fired with the long or recurve bows. To increase the speed and distance of an arrow, archers have been known to equip their bows with "over-draws" which permit a shorter, stiffer arrow to be fired from a conventional compound bow than would be possible without the over-draw feature.
The over-draw is simply a horizontal, rearward extension (toward the bow string) of the arrow-rest portion of the bow handle which forms a ledge on which the forward shaft of the arrow usually rests during the draw and firing of the arrow. This rearward extension of the arrow rest permits the arrow to be drawn back a further distance without its distal, pointed end falling therefrom. While permitting draws of larger distance to increase the power and, hence, velocity at which the arrow is fired (due to increased tension in the bow string), the over-draw feature creates a potential hazard to the archer's hand gripping the handle since the tip of the arrow is necessarily drawn behind the handle-gripping hand and might strike and injure it when fired.
Besides equipping their bows with over-draws, archers have also been likened to grip rests which attach adjacent the arrow rest of the bow handle. The desired feature expressed by many of the archers is the capability of the grip rest to engage the shaft of the nocked arrow to prevent it falling therefrom prior to firing. It is the intent that the archer may have an arrow nocked and ready for firing yet be able to relax the arm gripping the bow handle while searching for prey without having the arrow fall therefrom.
Various arrow rests have therefore been developed in attempts to hold the distal end of the arrow in proper position before and during firing without interfering with the normal trajectory of the fired arrow. In an grip rest for mounting upon a bow handle in a position rearwardly of the handle which also appears to accomodate arrow over-draw, U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,237 issued to Cliburn on Jun. 13, 1989 includes independently pivotable fingers which support the shaft of the arrow and which may be pivotally deflected by uneven forces applied thereto as the arrow is fired. The invention of the '237 patent, while sufficient at providing a seat for the distal portion of the shaft of the arrow, fails in not providing means to prevent the arrow from falling off the rest should the archer tilt or invert the bow in any way prior to firing the arrow. This feature is especially desirable for bow hunters who like to keep an arrow nocked in ready position while looking for game so that when game is sighted, the archer need only raise his bow, pull the bow string, aim and fire.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,596 issued to Barlow on Jan. 2, 1990 discloses an arrow rest having a pair of coil springs positioned to engage and support the arrow shaft. This arrow rest also appears to lack the above mentioned feature which would prevent the arrow from falling should the archer relax the arm gripping the bow.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,483,928, 3,158,145 and 4,949,699 reveal arrow rests configured to grasp the arrow shaft to prevent the arrow from falling therefrom; however, each require manual manipulation of the device to release its grip upon the arrow prior to firing. Once released, the arrow merely rests upon the device until fired, providing the chance for slippage or falling therefrom should the bow be tilted prior to firing. The devices of the '928, '145 and '699 patents also do not accomodate an over-draw arrow as previously described.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a device which serves the purposes of an arrow guide, rest and grip, all in one.
It is another object of the invention to provide an arrow grip which is effective at keeping the arrow in the nocked position ready for firing no matter at what angle the bow is carried.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an arrow rest which is effective at maintaining an arrow of less than conventional length in proper firing position during execution of an overdraw of the arrow.
It is still another object of the invention to provide an arrow grip rest which does not interfere with the normal trajectory of the arrow upon firing thereof.
Other objects will in part be obvious and in part appear hereinafter.